Heat loss, Derrick's ridiculous statement, and more Bulls potpourri

The Chicago Bulls fell to the Miami Heat in what was one of the uglier offensive performances they've had this season. It was the type of game that even adding Kirk Hinrich would have made it close. It felt like the Bulls turned the ball over every other possession while the Heat played fairly horrible as well, but their brand of horrible still had them win by nearly 20.

LeBron James looked amazing (shocking I know), while the Bulls really couldn't get anything done anywhere. They had 26 turnovers and to be quite honest were lucky the Heat didn't win this game by 50 except the Heat also played fairly horrible. If the Bulls were even somewhat competent at finishing at the rim in this game, they would have been right there in the end, but Chicago put forth one of the most pathetic fast break games I've ever seen with a multitude of opportunities at the basket that led to turnovers and misses.

They get a chance to regroup tonight, but will likely be without Kirk Hinrich again. The sutures from his elbow surgery tore, and he has no mobility in the arm. There is a fear of further infection now as well. The Bulls played much better with Hinrich in the lineup and will likely continue to struggle while he misses games.

Bulls screwed up in response to Reggie story

So after Reggie Rose started a media shitstorm with his comments about the lack of activity by the Bulls front office, the Bulls immediately went and coerced Derrick Rose into making the following statement and emailed it out to the press.

“I have always felt that the Bulls organization’s goals have been the same as mine and that is to bring another championship to this city.”

WTF were they thinking?

For one, it's obvious that Derrick Rose didn't say this and that some PR person did. I hope they at least ran it by him and he ok'd it (I'm sure he did), but I can't imagine anything sounding less authentic than the the Bulls releasing an email statement by Derrick.

If Derrick wants to counter what his brother said, then he should do so in his own words to a real reporter. This just sound like a bunch of horseshit.

Just like I understand Reggie's point, but I disagree with his timing/venue, I understand the Bulls trying to get the their side of the story out, but they also showed lousy timing and venue. Unless, of course, Rose refused to talk to the media about the story leaving them no choice [which makes you wonder if Derrick really simply agrees with his brother and is doing the minimum to save face for the organization].

Rose hype machine rolling again?

The word has generally been very positive about how Rose looks in practice. So far he's suffered no setbacks after going through a couple of 5-5 practices where he's doing everything [and this time we mean it!]. I'd imagine that Derrick will make his decision to play or not play this season sometime over the next three weeks.

Michael Jordan came back with only 15 games left in the regular season during his second year against the advice of the Bulls. I'm not sensing that same vibe with Derrick here which is somewhat ironic because however small the Bulls odds of winning a title this year are, they're infinitely greater than Jordon's in that second year.

However, we'll see what happens. While we certainly can't count on Rose to come back this season, I'd say it's probably more likely than not he comes back sometime in March.

Get back in the win column

The Bulls face the Bobcats tonight and without Hinrich it's likely to be another struggle to score. Kirk's done a great job while healthy, but his ability to stay on the floor has clearly been limited.

That said, the Bobcats are horrible and threw in the towel on the season quite some time ago. They presently have the worst record in the NBA, and to top it off, most of their wins came at the very start of the season, so they're playing even worse than their worst in NBA record now.

This is a game the Bulls should win easily regardless of who they through out there on the court, but they need to play much better than they did against Miami. Fortunately just showing up to the game should accomplish that.

Comments

Eventually there had to be a game against the Heat where the Bulls just didn't lift for and got killed. Anyone in the crowd cheering LeBron potentially getting hurt are idiots given even as unlikely as it is he'll sign for the Bulls in 2014 he's still the best chance of a championship.

The Bulls fail politics 101 by even responding to Reggie Rose, you don't dignify non entities with a response. But ultimately who cares, it's just ESPN fuel not anything substantial.

Can't really see the point in Rose coming back, sure MJ got to come back and be the individual hero and dropped 63 and proved how good he is. His team still lost. Really if Rose comes back it's not to prove anything about himself it's about the team, and I just don't see the team having time to gel together to make a serious run.

I could be wrong, but my sense is that the fans weren't cheering Lebron getting hurt as much as they just cheered Nates effort in taking a hard physical shot at Lebron. The cheering seemed to happen right when he hit him, it tapered off fairly quickly as it appeared that Lebron was hurt. Plus, I don't think that Lebron had anything more than a charely horse.

Very close to being borderline dirty play by Nate, but I think that he got it in within the bounds of fair play, and I applaud him for the effort.

i'm pretty certain lebron will sign up with irving & the cavs to chase another championship. i wish cavs would have too much pride for that but its lebron.
I think rose will be back this year but it won't be serious all out rose. hope they can make a run for it. i'm really impressed with boozer this year who has gotten into shape and is showing initiative. noah is moving into his prime and we need to make a run while deng is still with us and putting up numbers. this could have been the year.

Someone needed to say something Doug, the Bulls front office let guys walk for nothing this past off season and they intentionally brought in guys they knew they didn't have to pay big money to just so they didn't haveto pay the tax. I mean who wants to play for a team like that especially coming off a serious potentially career ending knee injury. If the Bulls don't want anyone in the Rose camp including D Rose himself talking to media about what going on as far as the team building towards being a title team, the FO and owner need to let Derrick know exactly what they plan on doing as far as getting the Bulls back to being a legitimate title contender instead of so damn secretive all the time while they do nothing cause right now...it's showing loud and clear. And i know Rose is getting paid by the Bulls to play but lets be serious here, Rose has to be cautious about his career cause afterall he is a franchise type player and if the Bulls aren't going to have his best interest in mind and that includes trying to win championships then he has to be very cautious for his future just in case things dont work out in Chicago.

I keep hearing reports from other national media outlets on this story. Some say Reggie was wrong for saying it which I agree a little, but it also needed to be said cause it just so happens to be the truth what was said. If anything this should've came from D Rose but we all know how quite he is that's why I'm fine with Reggie saying it cause again ... SOMEBODY NEEDED TO. I'm glad to know now that the people that didn't know now know how this Bulls organization and owner operates and always have by cutting costs at any cost. Its the reason why the Bulls dynastywas broken up, thwthe reason why the so called bench mob was dismantled. Its time for the Bulls owner to face the Heat that's coming his way if he really cares about his basketball organization and if he doesn't care sell the team or trade D Rose its just that simple. If he does care bring in the right people for this franchise to be successful again, give D Rose some better quality players besides Noah, Deng is ok he's a solid role guy, Taj as well, its just time for this owner to prove that " HE" can contend fir and win a championship without Jordan... ITS BEEN FAR FAR TOO LONG and the city of Chicago and its Bulls fans deserve a hell of a lot better. Just think where this team would be if they didn't get lucky back in 2008 with that no. 1 pick...I would hate to even think about that.

I think this has been an issue for a while but nothing was said so to me it has been a growing concern with Rose and his camp and after the trade deadline had come and gone and nothing still happened as far as any kind of movements to even try something this is where his brother's comments come from.

Some of it probably did come from Derrick. You have to think being brothers on the road together even if Reggie is his manager he's still his brother and Rose is more likely to open up to him. Also it's not good for business or Derricks image for him to come out and say that. Who better than his own brother.

Actually, I don't blame them for going with a prepared statement rather than having Derrick talk to reporters. Remember this whole mess started with his national interview where he contradicted himself (and everyone focused on the negative). Derrick just isn't great at expressing himself verbally. I mean, he rarely has speaking parts in his own commercials: compare his ads to Blake Griffin's.

The best response would've been to say nothing at all, but if they were going to respond, I think they did the best they could. No way I would've taken a chance on Derrick going off script.

Wait, Hinrich hurt again? But I thought he wasn't injury prone, and a good bet to come back strong this year?

After the Heat series, it was clear to the Bulls that:
a). Their advantages were coaching, PG and quality/depth of 'bigs'
b). They needed a dynamic scorer/ball-handler to compliment Rose
c). They needed to do a better job stretching the floor

In the offseasons and trade deadlines since, they've reduced/eliminated their advantage in size, haven't added any scorers (despite some potential availability), took a step backwards in terms of 3-point (stretch the floor) ability AND managed to lock themselves into the hard cap by paying a bunch of oft-injured or horrendous scrubs (Kapt. Klank Hinbrick, R.I.P. Hamilton, Bad Vlad and Nazr).

On top of this, we just see Houston wheel and deal their way into being a legitimate power out West, and see the Heat (despite being up against the cap themselves) improve.

If not now, when would be a time for Reggie to say what is on Derrick's mind?

The Bulls FO has gotten a free pass for for too long in this town mainly due to the sycophants in the media who suck at the teet of the organization to maintain access (not to mention that the media and team are in bed together due to Comcast). I'm glad some pressure is finally being applied to the team.

P.S. I heard some idiots in the media suggest that Derrick should have made some noise prior to signing his extension. He signed it in 12/2011. Since then, we've had 2 trade deadlines and 1 offseason come and go; and Derrick has seen the team take steps backwards (most notably, Asik). Ludicrous to even mention the contract extension in any fashion other than counting down until Rose decides to take his talents elsewhere.

The same people who last year said the squad wasn't good enough are now saying we should have kept last year's squad intact at any price. Please pick one. I don't like losing Asik but matching the contract would have handcuffed the Bulls from making any big moves going forward. I'm not all that hopeful that they'll make a big move because it's not what they do, but sticking with the same team with Rose recovering from injury wasn't going to get it done. If they don't make something happen in 2014, I'll join the "they suck" bandwagon.

I don't disagree with what you're saying about the flip-flopping, however, I am not one of those people. I did not lament the loss of Brewer, CJ, JLIII or White Mamba. I think Nate and Beli were decent-to-good signings and brought enough plusses to counteract most of the negatives of losing Korver and Watson.

Asik leaving and Hinrich signing are where things took a significant backwards step. So, if the team wasn't good enough last year, and then you go backwards....how else is Rose supposed to feel? Signing Hinrich essentially handcuffed the team, anyway. So, you're stuck either way, but without a nice piece (double double guys who play strong D don't fall off of trees) that could be parlayed into something along the way.

Which leads me into the 2014 talk. First, there is far more evidence to suggest Mirotic won't be coming anytime soon (Spanish citizenship, contract extension, financial loss he'd take coming here, words that he's said to the media) than that he is (um...anything??). Second, let's take a look at the top ten rebounding list for a moment, shall we:

Asik is sitting at #3. The Bulls let him go for nothing.

Tyson Chandler is sitting at #6. The Bulls traded him for JR Smith (who they waived before the ink even dried) and PJ Brown. PJ Brown was a decent piece to a playoff run, but when his contract was expiring ($11 million expiring, I may add), the Bulls front office made the deft move of using it for...nothing. He just walked. So, essentially, you gave up Tyson Chandler for nothing.

Do you REALLY want to trust an NBA organization that has let 2 legitimately good big men walk in the span of a few years of each other for nothing to go out and execute (and I don't mean put a bullet in the head way...I think GarPax could definitely KILL any good plan) a plan that is 2 years off? An NBA organization that (as Doug has pointed out) has gotten screwed by each of the last 3 major CBA revisions; despite Reinsdorf reportedly being 'in' with Stern?

C'mon. I love me the taste of Red and Black Kool-aid as much as the next homer fan, but that is just a little too much and too sweet to drink.

I get the whole, "the team stinks and if you disagree you're a kool-aid drinking fan" line of arguing around here but I specifically wrote I wasn't hopeful the Bulls would make a big move in 2014 because it's not what they do. My point is: Most folks here have stated that the Bulls need a 2nd superstar -- which I agree with -- but now we're complaining about not keeping last year's team intact. You can't have it both ways.

Bulls FO has made some blunders, but almost every FO does, you just don't notice. For example, put the Knicks under the same microscope and the Bulls actually come out favorably. Comparing only to the Heat and Lakers will frustrate fans of every NBA team. I want better, believe me I do, but "they suck" just isn't accurate relative to their peers.

So your idea of 'last year wasn't good enough' was to completely overhaul the bench (including the GOOD parts of the bench)?

How about 'last year wasn't good enough', you KEEP Asik and Korver, and then continue add and improve the team?

Oh no, you can't do that, otherwise your statement would make no sense.

You continue holding onto hope until 2014. The rest of us will take the pragmatic approach and criticize them because they don't do anything until their so-called 2014 plan ...and just for the record, if they said the plan was for 2016? 2018? Would wait until then too?

The only way in which matching Asik would have handcuffed the Bulls is that they would have lost the ability to scrap the entire roster and have max cap room in the summer of 2014. As it is, with the signing of Taj they are not likely to have enough for a super max deal starting at $20 million, which is what Lebron will be eligible for if he opts out.

In some ways, keeping Asik would have given us more flexibility, not less. You could theoretically trade Noah for a quality wing scorer in 2014 when he will almost certainly have passed his peak performance/value and replace him as the starter with Asik.

Doug himself suggested, as did multiple NBA sources, that Sacramento's No. 5 pick was indeed in play. I'm really not surprised at one of mom's basement denizens pooh poohing acuiring Damian Lillard which at minimum would have been a HUGE trading chip for awing scorer. The severe backlash to the looming Mega tax was out there make no mistake. However, having trouble seeing the TV over their breakfast tray, it's no surprise said respondent couldn't see the bigger picture.

As for Reggie Rose, I warned after his, "The FAMILY will make the decisions regarding Derrick's future" not to mention his being televised pestering Gar Forman at the Draft combine this past summer, that he was a greedy, power play "voice" for a willess, mindless D-Rose who unfortunately can't think or speak for himself.

On the court and as a player Rose has been a warrior and a fun, cool guy to root for. However off court he certainly appears to resemble Helen Keller as in deaf, dumb, and blind.

Derrick Rose needs to dump his controlling brother and for that matter probably BJ Armstrong and get out on hisown. Standing up on his own two legs is the only way out of this mess he's drifting into.

Rose is more than a "warrior" and "cool" to root for. He has an abnormally high basketball IQ and is a rare blend between freakish athleticism and chess like logic on the floor. Lets think about where he grew up, culture, and what he does for a living before levying bonehead insults about his communication skills (the helen keller insult is just mean dude, and I'm sure you wouldn't say that to his face. Thats a clown move bro). At the end of the day, I will take Derrick Rose's lack of communication skills over someone like Shane Battier who has great communication skills. Why you ask? Because one is ten times better at Basketball.

Helen Keller may be a little mean I'll admit it, but it is born out of frustration. I've always liked Derrick and I don't want to see him bypass becmoming his own man off the court. And poilitically incorrect utterances unlike most of the phony ass posters who protesteth too much are real thoughts not glossed BS..

Derrick has been a ghost ever since his injury. He really appears voiceless and it is beyond dissapointing that he has his clearly power hungry brother as his "voice". He needs to kick Reggie to the curb or mark my words he will get fleeced and have his career damaged as it is now by his older bro slash twiitter handle @sponge#entitledslob.

One other note: it is beyond embarrassing the balless lack of criticism of the league as in NBA over this abortion otherwise known as the new Mega Tax. Contenders like OKC and Memphis losing Harden and Rudy G is an affront as in Bitch slap to fans not only of those prospective teams but of the NBA in general.

Now in the post season not only do you have Goliath Miami, but you contrast that with OKC light and Memphis ultra light. What a pathetic league this has become.

And this revolting development is the perfect enabler for a greedy fan carpet bagger in Reinsdorf. Seriously how badly watered down does the NBA have to be where Noah and Deng, both good players, are both christened All Stars in the same season? And Reinsdorf loves it because it just legitamizes his cheapness. I wonder how many times JR had to blow David Stern to land this enabling godsend the progressive Luxury Tax? And he owes Jo and Deng big time as well for his two count em' Two All Star layden team. Hardy f-ing har har har har har.

The megatax is a bad idea. Profit sharing + hard cap would have created far more parity, but the players didn't want the hard cap and the rich teams would rather face a megatax than a hard cap and profit sharing so if they at least have to pay a ton they'll have a better roster.

actually Doug, I believe that there is already a new enhanced revenue(not profit) sharing plan in place. I've read that a team like the Lakers might have to contribute as much as $50 million per year in addition to whatever mega-tax payments they might have to make.

The Bulls will likely always be contrubutors to the revenue sharing plan also, making it far less likely that they are willing to pay significant taxes also. Basically, I don't see many if any teams going any further than the first or second tier ($5 or $10 Million) into the tax. The repeater was created to stop even those teams from doing it every year.

Don't you hate these "relatives" living off of their superstar family member..........Derrick's brother Reggie is his manager.......does Reggie have any other NBA clients?......the guy should just shut his mouth and enjoy his court side seats that his brother got for him......I did not hear Noah's or Deng's agents come out and complain that the Bulls did not pick a player at the deadline.

Reggie, will you be back in your south side neighborhood when Derrick's career is over selling crack and pimping little girls out.

So Because Rose and his family are from the southside of Chicago his brother was selling crack and pimping out little girls huh??? He did all of this while keeping Derrick away from things that you are suggesting he was involved with. Those are some very racist and judgemental comments that you just made and you should really keep those kind of thoughts to yourself. Its really easy for some people to hide behind a keyboard but it also just shows how some people are still very ignorant and biggotry is alive and still going unfortunately...SAD!!!

What is truly sad....that the Greatest Threat to a Black person in Chicago is another Black Person...........the truth hurts......Black people are killing each other in their drug invested neighborhoods at an alarming rate.........we have all these African American superstars here in this city, and none of them are helping to stop the crime among their people....more interested of making money ............too bad Jesse Jackson Jr. could not stop the crimes.....as he was committing crimes himself with his wife.......biggest Racists are the Blacks themselves......they love to shoot down little Black kids in play lots every week here........Blacks hate Blacks......................even President Obama does not want to be part of this city when he is out of office.....he will be living in Hawaii........what is great about America is expressing our thoughts and opinions ...if you don't like it, there is a plane leaving everyday from O'Hare to a connection to Communist China.

and don't tell me that Blacks are not selling crack or pimping out little girls on the South Side...........there are thousands of police records out there to show this information.

So go out and clean up your neighborhood as an activist.....you might end up one day as President of the United States and retire in Hawaii................or get gun down by a crack dealing gang member African American....Aloha

Wow this person just proved my point in being very ignorant and close mind, very, very sad...to all of the other real Bulls fans who are regularly on this blog I do apologize, this person has some serious issues going on within them.

But I got you to respond.....and as all other Chicago area residents, you look the other way when you hear about the major crime problems we have in the city........even the crime that happens around the Chicago Stadium after Bulls games.

The ignorant one is people like Reese1 who don't care seeing people, including kids getting killed by gang bangers......Reese1 must have family members who are gang bangers.

The serious problem is Chcicgo area Blacks killing Blacks........the truth hurts when it is told.

As an African-american who has lived on the south side of Chicago his entire life(not too far from where D rose grew up actually) I can say that, though this isn't the appropriate time or place to have a discussion like this on a blog, everything Cubs Talk just said about this city, Black-on-black crime, etc is 100% accurate. I don't agree with or can confirm anything said specifically about Rose however so that bit was uncalled for. However, again what Cubs talks said is true.

On the Rose issue. I do know personally that his brothers were instrumental in keeping his head right and away from all the nonsense that is the south side. There are so many talented basketball players here who most people never even get a chance to hear about because they have already been corrupted by gangs, killed, or misguided and dropped out of school without anyone to tell them right from wrong. Derrick could have easily become that without his brothers.

thanks........and I do have many Black friends who would say I am correct on what I say...........they would say i am not a Racists.......maybe crazy......but with all our superstar athletes we have in the city, it would be nice to give something back to the community to the fans who buy their jerseys, but tickets or stand in long lines to get their autographs...........what it would take if a athlete who is making tens of millions, just went out and bought sports equipment for kids or sponsor a few inner city leagues during the summer.....or get local businesses which they advertise with to build centers for kids so they would not be on the streets.

Whoever wrote the statement that was emailed to the press needs to improve his writing skills. The second "that" which is singular in number logically refers to "goals" which is plural. It's a very inelegant sentence.
Here's a better version: "I have always felt that the Bulls organization's goal has been the same as mine, to bring another championship to this city."

it's going to be difficult but thats what makes the top of the line front offices what they are. We have both Eric Gordon and Kevin Love not happy in their situations, can't the bulls at leasts pry one away? Can the bulls make the big trade without emotional attachments to players like Deng and Hinrich? I think pairing Rose with Eric Gordon sends a strong message to Rose that they are serious about contending and to do that they would have to offer up Deng. I think the bulls should do that since a long term financial deal with Deng doesn't make sense(he's going to want 10m per year minimum). I feel the Bulls could also get back Ronnie Brewer to fill in the gap with Jimmy butler at the small forward position.....not great but a more dynamic backcourt is needed with mirotic coming a year later to cement the new nucleus of rose,gordon,mirotic, noah. With that kind of team some quality veterans would come to fill out the bench. Is it being cheap or is it that the front office doesn't have any creativity or know when to pull the trigger on big trades, especially when assets peak in value or they let players walk. The spotlight should be on garpax who typically hide in the closet and let thibodeau get barraged with questions that should be asked of the management. Step up garpax and get together with Rose to explore players he wants to partner up with or else risk being forced to trading him to the lakers since he loves LA and is good buddies with D. Howard.

Eric gordon and Kevin Love? No way. They're injury prone. And have been malcontents with their own teams.

We ONLY want superstar 2-way players, who are young, healthy, and don't make a lot of money. Oh, and they have to be upstanding citizens who play with grit, grind, and heart.

Okay, enough sarcasm. These are the type of guys the Bulls need to go after. The Bulls can't get the top-flight FA to come here (for whatever reason...although Wade gave us the answer), we need to take some chances and risks, instead of settling for 'hard workers' every time.

And if that fails, keep improving, don't throw your hands up and say...we have to wait 3-4 years now before we can do anything else.

Since when did it become so hard to have a few shooters on the team?? With Korver, we at least had one dude who could stick the 3 and the 20-footers with regularity. I know, he didn't against the Sixers in the playoffs, but he still stretched the floor.

Now we have the worst 3-point shooting team in the league and it's killing us. We simply can't score the ball. When MJ was at his peak, he always had shooters who spaced the floor for His Airness. Paxson, BJ Armstrong and Steve Kerr were all deadly ... and clutch. Even guys like Buchler and Hodges could come in and bang 3s.

What does D Rose have to look forward to? Hinrich bricking yet another wide open look? Deng, Rip and Butler unsuccessfully trying to extend their range? Bellini and Nate Rob are our only decent 3 point shooters, but both are very inconsistent and also liabilities on D.

Look at teams like Houston. After that trade, they now START FOUR guys who can hit 3s: Lin, Harden, Parsons and Delfino. And they've got our guy, Asik, capably manning the middle. That team can score the ball, is fun to watch and will make some noise in the playoffs. I wish I could say the same about ours!

I am not surprised at the Bulls quick pathetic response Paxson has always been very sensitive to critisicm. Which is probably good thing that Derrick let his brother be the "bad guy" in this situation. We have heard Rose was unhappy with the Bulls offseason so I would be surprised if he didn't agree with what his brother said.

Basically all he said was basically they aren't good enough and haven't been getting any better. Both are true statements. It would be hard to prove that minus Rose this years team is better than last years. So if they aren't better than last year and they were first round outs that proves both his statements accurate.

Their decisions have been financially motivated not that it is a bad thing in fact I wish they were a little tighter fisted with Boozer signing and not throwing caution to the wind just to save face and doing a sign and trade to give him an extra year. It was a dumb move just looking at his age at the time. Not like he had anywhere better to go then either after NY and Maimi had already signed their guys.

To me the only disgraceful thing is Bulls Managements pathetic attempt to save face (theme?) from a players brother's comments. Why even respond? They write up some email release on behalf of Rose what a joke! Maybe they should be keeping track of Joakim's sister see if she has said anything negative about the Bull's and release the exact same statement on his behalf.

Sigh...damn I don't want to do this but its been festering since I first read Reggie's comments. His comments although misplaced and VERY ill timed I can understand where he's coming from.. That said...please shut the fuck up dude. Seriously, I know you were asked a question, but as a "manager" you should be able to think on your feet. If all of our managers answered questions without a filter like you did they'd be fired. I digress.. There are conflicting reports as to whether these are derricks thoughts and feelings. If these ARE his feelings I'm done as a drose fan, even Lebron James never threatened to not play until better talent was provided. That's absurd. "Not play" "won't return"???? Seriously? Fuck you asshole. This team has bent over backwards to cater to Derrick. The bulls F/O have made some boneheaded moves sure.. Why even continue down that path. But not only have they drafted well and had the best team record wise 2 years in a row but they are 8 games over .500 this year without your fucking brother. Reggie is so far off base with his comments it's ridiculous. What magic trades yesterday would have made the bulls better than Miami, okc, San Antonio, or the clippers? Huh?? Tell me please. Jj redick? Josh smith? Tyreke evans, NONE of those make you a title contender. And where do the bulls get the cap from?? Their ass? I mean seriously I'm pissed because the bulls get a bad rap for not having superstars. What store do they go to to get them? Whole foods? Are they just there growing organically? The bulls tried and succeeded in ridding themselves of bad contracts in 2010 to go after James, wade and bosh. They turned them down. What was left? Boozer. Had the bulls not signed him fans wouldve shit a brick.. Myself included. It was between him and David lee and they both have sucked until this year. Lee made the all star team and boozer legitimately could've also. What trades have been available that wouldn't have destroyed the whole team? Howard repeatedly said he didn't want to come here.. Melo said he didn't want to. I mean tell me what Im missing here. Bulls had the best record two years in a row.. If your fucking brother wouldn't have torn his acl last season who knows what couldve happened you dick. Or maybe if he wasn't a mental midget he could get over his knee and get his fucking ass back on the court. You can only get 110% by playing ACTUAL NBA GAMES you fuck. Derrick and Reggie can both fuck off. Bye

Wow, so you're writing Reggie AND Derrick off next year's Christmas list?! Sorry, kidding. I disagree that the Bulls have done all they could including last summer but your passionate non P.C. honest lambasting is appreciated.

I make $82h while I'm traveling the world. Last week I worked by my laptop in Rome, Monti Carlo and finally Paris…This week I'm back in the USA. All I do are easy tasks from this one cool site. check it out,
JUMP30.Com

I get the frustration.. We as fans all get it ok. That's established but I just don't know what the bulls are supposed to do. They've been very transparent with their 2014 plans. Again they can't just throw caution to the wind and go with reckless abandon and bust up a team that may be a player away. Whitney young once said (and I paraphrase) "it's better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one, than to have an opportunity and not be prepared." Hopefully when their chance comes they'll be prepared. With all of the ridiculous trade scenarios I've read here there is no way the bulls could even make a move if one presented itself. I'll end with this, I hope drose comes back and is better than ever. I hope he reaches MVP level again and is a dominant player and we as fans can enjoy him in his prime.

Well could you post the link where they've targeted Kevin love? I'll check back but I assume you can't find it. Secondly the "plan" that's been laid out for next season is to fill out the roster with minimum contracts (they have to) amnesty boozer and Lou's contract is coming off the books. That will allow them to sign Kevin love.. I mean it's a plan bro and like any plan you want to come to fruition you have to prepare. That's what they are doing now and did in 2010.. Lastly because Derrick is being paid a lot of fucking money by the bulls to play. Regardless of how the team is structured.. I can't even believe this is up for debate. If he is legitimately not healthy I have no problem with him sitting.. Even if he doesn't trust his knee I don't mind but if he's cleared he should be out there. Period. It doesn't matter if the bulls have a legit chance of winning a title it's about playing the game you're being paid to play.

I havn't posted much in a while because frankly I've stopped watching the games from being disgusted by what I've been seeing from the Bulls management. The team out there is difficult to watch and it's sad to see a good team broken up for some nickle and dime BS when you have one of the largest markets in the league. I felt last season we were close, just one piece away. If it wasn't for all the injuries they would've gone much deeper in the playoffs. This year things are totally different. Winning no longer seems to be the goal. It feels like the minute Rose went down last season the front office immediately gave up on the team.

The sad thing is the things that are happening now on the Bulls is nothing new. They've always been like this ever since the end of the Dynasty, all the way through through Scott Skiles era, and even Del Negro. It's only more obvious now because they have an Elite player that the league loves and everyone is taking notice.

I'm glad Rose's brother stepped up and said what he said and I completely agree. It's been long overdue and it's time to put the spotlight on those cheap bastards. I know Rose loves Chicago and doesn't want to leave the Bulls but they're really not leaving him much choice at this point.

Did anyone hear from the brother, father or mother of Boozer?......or Noah?.....or Hamilton?....or Deng?

Bulls have done a pretty good job without Rose....and big mouth Reggie is putting an issue now in the locker room with Rose and his teammates......

Reggie needs to get a real job instead being a meal ticket for his brother.......has anyone checked out Reggie's background for being qualified as being a manager for Derrick?........

When MJ was out with his injury, we did not have issues like this.....Derrick needs to be a big boy now and speak for himself.....and bitch slap his brother Reggie if Reggie complains about Bulls Mgmt. again.....it is the Bulls who have given Rose and his family everything.....so far the Bulls have done a good job ....

so Reggie, STFU and let your brother be his own man.......just keep quiet and eat your popcorn at court side......you can make the Pizza deals for Derrick and sponge off your brother who has talent.

The Bulls are hopeless, and the only way to bring about changes we Bulls fans want to see is to bring pressure to ownership. We should boycott the Bulls until something is done that shows ownership does care about the fans, and is serious about going for a championship.

I say we all boycott all Bulls home games, boycott all Bulls games on TV, boycott all Bulls merchandise, and cut off all it's revenue as much as we can until we are satisfied the Bulls are back on the right track. Watching Bulls play is like watching the ugliest grandma dance, unbearable. I have decided to cancel my cable TV after the game against the Heat. Enough of the torture already.

BTW,Rose is way overrated, and even more overpaid. Maybe his palm is too small compare to Rondo or LJ, because he is so awkward driving to the basket the way his hand bend inwards to try to hold on and protect the ball. He is one of the worst finisher around the rim,period.

Deng is also way overrated, and should be traded while he still has some value. He was even overplayed by Korver. Every time he touches the ball, something bad happens for the Bulls. He can't handle the ball, and very poor offense, and so so defense.

Rip is useless, look at how many times he throws the ball away on a fast break.

Overall, the Bulls is the worst fast break team in the whole NBA and CBA.

You make a lot of good suggestions but there's far too many homer Bulls fans for any of what you said to happen. I sad when they started dismantling the bench that I would boycott by not going to any of the Bulls games thus year at the UC. I have managed to catch them at away games a few times this year just to show support for Thibs and the team and as far as watching them on tv I don't that much if at all. That's just my personal way of boycotting what's going on with the FO and owner, I don't support any home games to continue to fill the the owners pockets cause as much as people disagree, the owner is cutting costs for his personal gain.

Hard to believe, 3 minutes into the game and Biyombo gets 3 offensive rebounds on Bozo the Garbage man, so Thibs has to switch Noah onto Biyombo.

Somebody threw out a Garbage man for Gordon and Biyombo deal the other day, Of course, that somebody threw in 3 #1 picks from the Bulls, including returning Charlottes future pick that we own, that made the suggestion assinine, assiten and assitwleve.

That might be a deal to look at this summer, minus the #1's of course. The Garbage man is technically the most accomplished NBA player in the deal, so maybe the Bulls give Jordan $3 million bucks to make it happen. The Garbage man is a perfect player for a garbage team like the Bobcats, it really doesn't matter who they spend their money on anyway.

We have to put up with one more year of Ben Gordon's Mope a dope routine, but we get out of having to watch Bozo the Bamboozler and Reiny gets out of amnesty territory. Biyombo looks like a total Thibs kind of guy, a second Taj Gibson, and Taj gets to start, which is something that he is quietly looking for.

By the way, in the past month, Luol Deng has gone from being named a 2 time fake allstar, to one of the worst starting players in the league. For what it is worth, his PER has no dropped below 15, which is statistically set to be the average player in the entire league, not the average starter. Never trust the birth certificate of anybody from Africa, especially a guy who moves like a 40 year old Robert Parish.

Really what Derrick has to do is tell everyone around him to just shut up and find the "Michael Jordan" within him. If he is 100% healthy he needs to play. Reggie talking about the team is not good enough, MJ came back to a 30 win team eagerly because of the love of the game and the thought of living up to his contract. MJ was salivating at the chance of busting Larry and the Celtics up in the playoffs. This team all year has played for Derrick. Do you really think they would be going 100% each game knowing that DRose wasn't coming back. The Bulls may not have the talent of Miami or OKC, but in terms of toughness, resolve and determination there is no other team that does it better. You got Deng playing with 1 hand for 2 years and Joakim playing on 1 foot for the team that includes Derrick. If he not ready fine, but if he is and he doesn't play a lot people will question him as a real team leader.

One issue that isn't being given enough attention is how DRose's injuries were terribly mismanaged last year. From turf toe, to lower back, to groin tear. Derrick never fully healed, never properly rehabbed, and with each injury came back far too soon. At nowhere near 100%, DRose was asked to lead the Bulls into the playoffs - and suffered a career threatening injury.

We fans don't know who was responsible for last season's series of horrendous decisions on DRose's injuries. But its apparent now the Rose Camp will not allow Derrick's health/career to be jeopardized once again. An athlete can play on a repaired ACL in 8-10 months, but won't be 100% for 18 months.

The Bulls have no chance against Miami in the playoffs even with Derrick at 100%. So the Rose Camp sent a message to the Bulls. I think the Rose Camp remembers very vividly how DRose's health was completely mismanaged last season.

Perhaps the Rose Camp now realizes the deficiency in the Bulls medical/training team and is making their own call this time. Maybe the Rose Camp learned the hard way through direct experience last season and is refusing to repeat the same mistake.

Derrick really had no business playing in last season's playoffs. Maybe the same is true this season. Is it worth the risk?